'''Donald Trump''' (b. [[Queens]], [[New York]], on June 14, 1946), nickname "The Donald," is a successful businessman, entrepreneur, and [[television]] personality. He has engaged in many financial pursuits and estimates that his net worth is 10 billion.<ref>LoGiurato, Brett (July 25, 2015). [http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-net-worth-2015-7 "We finally know a lot more about Donald Trump's 'massive' net worth"]. Business Insider website.</ref> He graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964 and first attended college at [[Fordham University]] for two years before transferring to the more competitive [[University of Pennsylvania]] and then completing his studies at the prestigious Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. Trump has five children. In February 2011, he announced that he is [[pro-life]], but on August 11, 2015, he indicated that he might support taxpayer funding of [[Planned Parenthood]] for its non-[[abortion]] activities (which builds its brand and funds its overhead). On June 16, 2015, he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]].<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/06/16/trump-announces-white-house-bid-joins-crowded-gop-field/ "Trump announces White House bid, joins crowded GOP field"] (June 16, 2015). Fox News website/Politics.</ref>

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The front-runner in a record-breaking field of 17 [[Republican]] candidates, Trump announced that he did not anticipate "throwing punches" against his rivals in the first GOP debate.<ref>Chiacu, Donna and Torbati, Yeganeh (August 2, 2015). [http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/02/us-usa-election-debate-idUSKCN0Q70NI20150802 "Trump says won't be 'throwing punches' in U.S. Republican debate"]. Reuters website.</ref> But at the debate the [[Fox News Channel]]—particularly its [[feminist]] non-journalist [[Megyn Kelly]]—ambushed Trump with out-of-context quotations designed to smear him as somehow being anti-women. This ignited a national controversy that lasted for days, and Trump called upon Kelly to apologize, which she refused to do.

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Unlike most other candidates, Trump sharply criticizes the media and talks about issues that no elected official dares touch. In 2011, Trump persistently doubted whether [[Barack Obama]] had been born in the [[United States]], and it caused Obama's approval ratings to drop below 40% until Obama finally caved in to Trump and produced what Obama claimed was his birth certificate. Trump then scoffed at Obama's conduct.

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Trump's central campaign theme has been to oppose [[illegal immigration]], and he enlisted Senator [[Jeff Sessions]] as an adviser on this issue. As reported by Breitbart, "Sen. Sessions, Chairman of the Senate’s Immigration Subcommittee, is widely regarded as the gold standard on immigration. Sessions has also become the intellectual thought leader in the Republican Party on appealing to the blue collar voters who have been abandoned by their political leaders." <ref>Hahn, Julia (August 14, 2015). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/14/game-change-trump-consults-with-sen-jeff-sessions-on-immigration-strategy/ "Game change: Trump consults with Sen Jeff Sessions on immigration strategy"]. Breitbart website/Big government.</ref>

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==Early life==

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Donald Trump attended the First [[Presbyterian]] Church in Jamaica, Queens. He told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he still considers himself a [[Presbyterian]] and attends services for all major holidays and Sundays, and that "The [[Bible]] is certainly THE book." He receives Bibles from fans in the mail, and he either stores them or gives them away to others.<ref>Haberman, Maggie (April 11, 2011). [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52942.html "Donald Trump talks about religion"]. Politico website.</ref>

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==Career==

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Donald Trump began his career at Trump Organization. In his college years, he helped revitalize one of his father's failing real estate ventures. Trump began opening hotels and casinos, which provided him with the cash flow to engage in other ventures. He owns the world-famous Trump Tower and is the founder of the publicly traded Trump Hotel Casinos & Resorts. Trump also owns the Trump brand, which sells a variety of items, such as bottled water, steak, and even mortgages. Trump has authored a number of books and weathered changing business fortunes, but despite the challenges that he has encountered, he has continued to be a successful businessman and entrepreneur.

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Trump considered [[presidential election 2012|running for President in 2012]] as a [[Republican]]. He, among others, questioned the citizenship of [[Barack Obama]], citing his failure to produce his birth certificate. After Obama produced his birth certificate, Trump and the other [[birther]]s continue to doubt its authenticity. Obama's approval ratings were around 40% during the peak of the controversy. Trump later exited the race, and gave the customary endorsement to [[Mitt Romney]] as the other [[Republican]] contenders did.

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==Major properties==

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*Trump World Tower: 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY.

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*Trump Tower: 725 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10022 Personal Residence

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*Trump Taj Mahal

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*Trump Marina

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*Bank of America Center (San Francisco)

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*The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street

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*Trump Plaza

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*Trump Park Avenue

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*Trump Entertainment Resorts

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*TrumpStreet Casino & Entertainment Complex, Philadelphia

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*AXA Financial Center, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

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*Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago

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*Mar-A-Lago Palm Beach

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*Four golf courses in the U.S.

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==Media==

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In 2003 Trump began as the host and executive producer of the reality [[television]] show ''The Apprentice'' and ''The Celebrity Apprentice'', where contestants compete for a position in Trump's organization. On this show, Trump popularized his catchphrase "You're fired!"

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Trump owns the Miss Universe Pageant. Controversy arose when one of the winners, Tara Conner, was caught breaking pageant rules by drinking and other activities. Trump gave her a second chance after personally speaking with her and allowed her to retain her crown as she attended rehabilitation. For several weeks after this, [[Rosie O'Donnell]] berated Trump for his decision on ''The View''. A bitter media war ensued with the two exchanging insults.

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Trump has appeared on several TV shows and movies for guest appearances. He generally appears as himself.

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==Political positions==

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====Abortion====

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At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, Trump announced he is [[pro-life]].<ref>Rahn, Will (February 10, 2011). [http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/10/trump-at-cpac-points-to-white-house-run/ "Trump at CPAC points to White House run"]. The Daily Caller website.</ref>

At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, he stated that he wants to eliminate the Department of Education.<ref name=Educ/>

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====Foreign policy====

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Trump wants to improve relationships with [[Russia]]n president [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>Johnson, Simon (July 31, 2015). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11775145/Donald-Trump-Id-get-on-very-well-with-Putin-if-I-were-president.html "Donald Trump: I'd get on 'very well' with Putin if I were president"]. The Telegraph [U.K.] website.</ref>

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Trump says the [[Iran]] deal is bad, but as president he would enforce it anyway.

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====Global warming====

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Trump does not believe in the [[Climate Change]] hysteria, once stating the "Nobel committee should take the Nobel Prize back from [[Al Gore]]."

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====Gun control====

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Trump is against gun control.<ref name=Educ/>

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====Homosexual agenda====

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For all practical purposes, Trump is on the side of the [[homosexual agenda]]. He supports the creation of new law by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], as in a new right to [[homosexual marriage]], and declares it the "law of the land" even though Congress passed no such law.

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Trump has attended multiple [[same-sex marriage]] ceremonies, but has also said in the past that he opposes same-sex marriage. Trump's views are not yet known on other aspects of the [[homosexual agenda]], such as whether Trump would ban [[conversion therapy]] for minors as [[Chris Christie]] did. The [[Fox News Channel]] debate in August avoided these issues, but future debates will probably require Trump to declare his position.

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====Immigration====

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See the discussion in the introduction above. This is Trump's main campaign issue.

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====Political contributions====

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He has been criticized for his substantial contributions to [[Democrat]] lawmakers; the majority of those lawmakers are located in the states he resides in: New York and Florida. The amount he has donated since 2008 is $25,000, which is insignficant considering his wealth.<ref>Allin, Olivia (April 30, 2011). [http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Donald-Trump-calls-nations-leaders-stupid-people-and-blood-sucking-politicians/8104644 "OTRC: Donald Trump calls nation's leaders 'stupid people' and 'blood-sucking politicians'"]. OnTheRedCarpet [news]. Retrieved from ABC7 [KABC Television, Los Angeles] website.</ref>

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====Tariffs====

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At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, he stated that he supports a 25% tariff on Chinese goods.<ref name=Educ/>

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==Quotes from the 2016 campaign for President==

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*I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.

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*I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.

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*Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people.

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*Nobody would be tougher on ISIS than Donald Trump. Nobody. Within our military, I will find the General Patton, or I will find General MacArthur, I will find the right guy.

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*I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have [[Mexico]] pay for that wall.

* "It’s amazing how people can talk about me but I’m not allowed to talk about them."<ref>Trump, Donald J. (November 13, 2012, 12:23pm). [http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/268449146711703553 "It’s amazing how people can talk about me but I’m not allowed to talk about them."] Tweet by @realDonaldTrump.</ref>

Revision as of 14:06, 17 September 2015

Donald Trump (b. Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946), nickname "The Donald," is a successful businessman, entrepreneur, and television personality. He has engaged in many financial pursuits and estimates that his net worth is 10 billion.[1] He graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964 and first attended college at Fordham University for two years before transferring to the more competitive University of Pennsylvania and then completing his studies at the prestigious Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. Trump has five children. In February 2011, he announced that he is pro-life, but on August 11, 2015, he indicated that he might support taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood for its non-abortion activities (which builds its brand and funds its overhead). On June 16, 2015, he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election.[2]

The front-runner in a record-breaking field of 17 Republican candidates, Trump announced that he did not anticipate "throwing punches" against his rivals in the first GOP debate.[3] But at the debate the Fox News Channel—particularly its feminist non-journalist Megyn Kelly—ambushed Trump with out-of-context quotations designed to smear him as somehow being anti-women. This ignited a national controversy that lasted for days, and Trump called upon Kelly to apologize, which she refused to do.

Unlike most other candidates, Trump sharply criticizes the media and talks about issues that no elected official dares touch. In 2011, Trump persistently doubted whether Barack Obama had been born in the United States, and it caused Obama's approval ratings to drop below 40% until Obama finally caved in to Trump and produced what Obama claimed was his birth certificate. Trump then scoffed at Obama's conduct.

Trump's central campaign theme has been to oppose illegal immigration, and he enlisted Senator Jeff Sessions as an adviser on this issue. As reported by Breitbart, "Sen. Sessions, Chairman of the Senate’s Immigration Subcommittee, is widely regarded as the gold standard on immigration. Sessions has also become the intellectual thought leader in the Republican Party on appealing to the blue collar voters who have been abandoned by their political leaders." [4]

Early life

Donald Trump attended the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens. He told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he still considers himself a Presbyterian and attends services for all major holidays and Sundays, and that "The Bible is certainly THE book." He receives Bibles from fans in the mail, and he either stores them or gives them away to others.[5]

Career

Donald Trump began his career at Trump Organization. In his college years, he helped revitalize one of his father's failing real estate ventures. Trump began opening hotels and casinos, which provided him with the cash flow to engage in other ventures. He owns the world-famous Trump Tower and is the founder of the publicly traded Trump Hotel Casinos & Resorts. Trump also owns the Trump brand, which sells a variety of items, such as bottled water, steak, and even mortgages. Trump has authored a number of books and weathered changing business fortunes, but despite the challenges that he has encountered, he has continued to be a successful businessman and entrepreneur.

Trump considered running for President in 2012 as a Republican. He, among others, questioned the citizenship of Barack Obama, citing his failure to produce his birth certificate. After Obama produced his birth certificate, Trump and the other birthers continue to doubt its authenticity. Obama's approval ratings were around 40% during the peak of the controversy. Trump later exited the race, and gave the customary endorsement to Mitt Romney as the other Republican contenders did.

Major properties

Trump World Tower: 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY.

Trump Tower: 725 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10022 Personal Residence

Trump Taj Mahal

Trump Marina

Bank of America Center (San Francisco)

The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street

Trump Plaza

Trump Park Avenue

Trump Entertainment Resorts

TrumpStreet Casino & Entertainment Complex, Philadelphia

AXA Financial Center, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago

Mar-A-Lago Palm Beach

Four golf courses in the U.S.

Media

In 2003 Trump began as the host and executive producer of the reality television show The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice, where contestants compete for a position in Trump's organization. On this show, Trump popularized his catchphrase "You're fired!"

Trump owns the Miss Universe Pageant. Controversy arose when one of the winners, Tara Conner, was caught breaking pageant rules by drinking and other activities. Trump gave her a second chance after personally speaking with her and allowed her to retain her crown as she attended rehabilitation. For several weeks after this, Rosie O'Donnell berated Trump for his decision on The View. A bitter media war ensued with the two exchanging insults.

Trump has appeared on several TV shows and movies for guest appearances. He generally appears as himself.

Trump has attended multiple same-sex marriage ceremonies, but has also said in the past that he opposes same-sex marriage. Trump's views are not yet known on other aspects of the homosexual agenda, such as whether Trump would ban conversion therapy for minors as Chris Christie did. The Fox News Channel debate in August avoided these issues, but future debates will probably require Trump to declare his position.

Immigration

See the discussion in the introduction above. This is Trump's main campaign issue.

Political contributions

He has been criticized for his substantial contributions to Democrat lawmakers; the majority of those lawmakers are located in the states he resides in: New York and Florida. The amount he has donated since 2008 is $25,000, which is insignficant considering his wealth.[10]

Tariffs

At the 2011 CPAC conference, he stated that he supports a 25% tariff on Chinese goods.[7]

Quotes from the 2016 campaign for President

I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.

I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.

Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people.

Nobody would be tougher on ISIS than Donald Trump. Nobody. Within our military, I will find the General Patton, or I will find General MacArthur, I will find the right guy.

I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall.

Quotes from Twitter

"An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."[11]